Hat support



March 1957 P. A. LYNCH 2,783,895

HAT SUPPORT Filed April 22, 1953 INVENTOR PAUL A. LV/VCH BY Zi/me p w ATTORNEYS HAT SUPPORT Paul A. Lynch, Philadelphia, Pa. Application April 22, 1953, Serial No. 350,329 3 Claims. (Cl. 211-32) This invention relates to a hat support or holder and has for an object the provision of a novel, inexpensive device for supporting a hat either in a hat box or upon a hook after removal from the hat box in avoidance of crushing or curling of the hat.

More particularly, this invention provides a hat holder formed from a sheet of relatively stifl, foldable material, comprising a central panel adapted to receive the crown of a hat and a pair of end sections hinged to opposite ends of the central panel. There is further provided a middle section hinged to the bottom of the central panel and all of the sections are foldable toward a common side of the central panel. Further in accordance with the invention, the free ends of the sections are connectable to cause the central panel and the sections, when in operative position, to assume positions in spaced planes to receive the brim of the hat therebetween.

For a more detailed disclosure of the invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is to be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the sheet material blank from which the hat holder is formed;

Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views, taken from different angles, showing the blank of Fig. l assembled in operative position for supporting a hat;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view, partly cut away, to show the hat holder supporting a hat within a hat box or carrying case; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the hat holder mounted on a hook and supporting a hat.

Referring to Fig. 1, the hat holder or support is shown in blank form having been cut from a piece of sheet material. The sheet material may be of any type having the characteristic of being relatively stiff, foldable material, either metallic or non-metallic, and preferably is formed from paperboard, cardboard or the like in order to minimize the cost.

As may be seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the hat holder 10 is adapted to perform a dual function, namely, that of acting as a packing member or support for a hat when it is disposed in a carrying case or box as given to a customer with the purchase of a hat, and further since the support 10 is removable from the box, it serves as a hat holder which the customer may use for hanging his hat. When storing a hat over a period of time it is preferable to place the hat 15 in a hat box or carrying case in the manner shown in Fig. 4 in order to prevent dust from collecting on the hat. However, for hanging the hat for daily use the novel hat holder 10, as hereinafter will be described, avoids crushing of the hat and curling of the brim that frequently occurs when a hat is hung in an unprotected fashion on a hook or placed on a crowded shelf.

Referring to Fig. l, the hat holder 10 comprises a central section or panel 11 for receiving the crown of a hat 15, as shown in Fig. 5. The panel 11 is provided nited States Patent 0 with a curved inner edge 11a for engaging the crown of the hat and may be U-shaped or of other similar configuration. A pair of collapsible side flaps or end portions 12 and 13 are mounted on opposite ends of the central U-shaped panel 11. A collapsible center flap or middle section 14 is mounted on the bottom of the U-shaped section and preferably extends from the outer edge. Each of the flaps or sections 12, 13 and 14 is hinged to the U-shaped section 11 by means of inner portions 12a, 13a and 14a respectively.

As may be seen in Figs. 1-3, each of the flaps 12, 13 and 14 is folded to a common side of the central U-shaped panel 11 about the corresponding score lines 12b, 12c, 13b, 13c, 14b and 14c respectively, the folded flaps 12, 13 and 14 overlapping to form a back, panel. In order to hold the central panel 11 and the various flaps 12, 13 and 14 in operative position for supporting a hat, there is provided means for interlocking the free ends of the flaps 12, 13 and 14. While various means may be employed, the arrangement shown in Figs. 1-3 provides slots 16 and 17 in flap 13 adapted to receive tabs 18 and 19 formed in the sheet material comprising end flap 12. The middle flap or section 14 is also shown as provided with a slot 20 through which tab 19 is adapted to extend, and as may be seen in Fig. 3, the slot end of flap 14 is adapted to be positioned between the overlapping free ends of flaps 12 and 13 in order to lock the free end of flap 14 in position.

When the free ends of the flaps 12, 13 and 14 are folded to a common side of the U-shaped section or panel 11 and interlocked it will be seen, Figs. 2 and 3, that the inner portions 12a, 13a and 14a will assumea position substantially perpendicular to the U-shaped section 11, and the flaps 12, 13 and 14 will lie in a plane spaced from the plane of central section 11 and substantially parallel thereto. While the length of the inner portions 124, 13a and 14a is not. critical, it should be sufficient readily to permit the insertion and withdrawal of the hat brim as shown in Fig. 5. The inner edge 11a of the central panel 11 is curved for engagement with the crown of the hat, and the width of the panel 11, i. e., the distance between score line and curved edge 11a, is somewhat greater than the width of the hat brim in order to support the hat by engaging the side of the crown and without placing any strain on the edge of the hat brim.

The end flaps 12 and 13 are each provided with an opening 22 which are adapted to be in alignment when the hat holder 10 is assembled in operative position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The opening 22 is adapted to receive a suitable support member 23, such as the wall hook shown in Fig. 5, in order to hang the hat holder 10 in a substantially vertical position for supporting the hat.

In Fig. 4 the novel hat holder 10 is shown disposed in a carrying or storage case. The storage case is of the type generally supplied with the purchase of a hat and includes a tubular body portion 25, a bottom closure member 26 and a top closure member 27, all of conventional construction. The carrying case illustrated is of a generally oval shaped configuration corresponding to the periphery of the hat brim, and the hat has been shown in phantom in Fig. 4 to avoid obscuring the details of the hat holder 10.

The foregoing construction of the novel hat holder or support has numerous advantages. The hat holder 10 may be used as an advertising medium with the outer surface of central panel 11 presenting a desirable space for advertising matter, as this space will be in view whenever the cover is removed from the hat box, as shown in Fig. 4, or when the hat holder 10 is removed from the hat box and hung in vertical position, as shown in Fig. 5. By performing a dual function of supporting a hat within the hat box and being removable therefrom to support the hat on a hanger or hook, the need for the conventional hat-packing structure (which serves no other purpose) normally found in hat boxes is eliminated.

While the hat holder or support is primarily designed to receive a mans hat, it is not limited thereto, but may be used for hanging any hat of the type including a crown and a relatively flat brim.

It will be noted that the configuration of the hat holder 10 is of a generally oval shape corresponding generally to, but somewhat greater than, the periphery of a hat brim, as shown in Fig. 5. By making the configuration of the hat support 10 closely follow the periphery of the hat brim a minimum amount of sheet material is used in making the hat support 10. This configuration has the further advantage that the hat support 10 will readily fit into an oval shaped hat box, such as the box shown in Fig. 4, and furthermore, it will fit in any hat box that is sufliciently large to accommodate the hat, whether the box be square, octagonal or otherwise. The hat support 10 by virtue of its construction protects the hat brim from being curled when the hat is hung on a hook. That is particularly advantageous when hanging a hat that has become damp or wet, for example, from a rain storm. When the brim of a hat is damp it is more likely to curl than when it is dry, and if it is allowed to dry in a curled position, it will tend to remain in that curled position thereafter, thus necessitating that the hat be reblocked to return it to its original shape. In the preferred form of the invention, the curved edge 11a of central panel 11 does not form a complete oval. Thus, the hat may readily be inserted and removed from the hat holder 10 without the necessity of disassembling the hat holder whenever it is to be used to hold a hat.

While the hat holder 10 is particularly useful in connection with the sale of hats in that it performs the dual function of acting as a support for the hat when within the hat box and as a hanger for the hat upon removal from the box, it is not necessarily limited to that form of distribution. By virtue of its novel construction, it has the further advantage of being collapsible into a relatively small, flat package for easy distribution as a separate item of merchandise through sales channels such as department stores, variety stores, and the like, and, therefore, need not be confined to distribution by hat manufacturers or hat stores. For example, it will be seen in Fig. 1 that by folding flaps 12, 13 and 14 either about their corresponding score lines 120, 13c and 140,

or about score lines 12b, 13b and 14b, the hat support 10 may be made into a flat package rather than the somewhat thicker package that results when the inner portions 12a, 13a and 14a of the flaps 12, 13 and 14 simultaneously be performed during a single strip-feeding operation.

It is to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific arrangements shown and that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A hat holder formed from sheet material and having a substantially oval configuration comprising a U-shaped section having curved inner and outer edges,

' a pair of end sections connected to opposite ends of said U-shaped section, each of said end sections including a curved edge extending above the U-shaped section and conforming to a portion of an oval, said outer curved edge of said U-shaped section extending below said end sections, a middle section connected to said U-shaped section intermediate said opposite ends thereof, said end sections and middle section being foldable toward a common side of said U-shaped section into overlapping relation to form a panel spaced from said U-shaped section and cooperating therewith, when in operative position, to receive the brim of a hat therebetween with the crown of the hat in engagement with the curved inner edge of said U-shaped section, the curved outer edge of said U-shaped section and said curved edges of said end sections cooperating to form the substantially oval configuration of said hat holder.

2. A hat holder according to claim 1 wherein said curved inner and outer edges of said U-shaped section are substantially uniformly spaced apart throughout the length of said U-shaped section.

3. A hat holder according to claim 1 wherein both of said inner and outer curved edges of said U-shaped section extend below said end sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 260,531 Caldwell July 4, 1882 307,638 Gauch Nov. 4, 1884 742,958 Blair Nov. 3, 1903 1,425,549 Scruby Aug. 15, 1922 2,058,144 Fletcher et a1 Oct. 20, 1936 2,503,840 Pfeil Apr. 11, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,425 Great Britain 1898 

